After almost two and a half days at sea, the MOD70 Drekan Energy, skippered by Eric Defert, was the first to cross the finish line of the fifth edition of the DRHEAM-CUP / GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE in La Trinité-sur-Mer, on Thursday 18 July at 3h48’26, winning the Multi 2000 class in real time. The next boat expected to cross the line is Eric de Turckheim’s 54-foot yacht Teasing Machine.
On Wednesday night, the winner of the DRHEAM-CUP / GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE in real time, across all classes and in the Multi 2000 class, had a night-time finish. After picking up a light wind as she passed south of Belle-Ile, the MOD70 Drekan Energy (the first of this one-design series launched in 2011) crossed the line off La Trinité-sur-Mer, at 3h48’26, after 2 days 11 hours 18 minutes and 26 seconds at sea.
“We’re really happy, it was a great course”, commented skipper Eric Defert, the leader of the crew of seven (including himself) for the race, once he was back on the pontoon. He then recounted his experience of this edition of DRHEAM-CUP / GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE DE COURSE AU LARGE, which he was taking part in for the first time: “We began with a three-hour crossing of the Channel, and reached the south coast of England very quickly. The first night was very demanding, tacking upwind in 25 knots of wind in a very choppy sea with many fishing vessels about. It went well as we implemented a watch system. The following morning, at 10:27, we got to Wolf Rock, and we set off again on a starboard reaching run towards the DRHEAM-CUP mark, which we reached at 6pm. That was the good bit.”
Indeed, from Tuesday evening, the 21.20 metre trimaran began to feel the effects of the high-pressure system which settled over Brittany: “Then it got rougher, with calm winds overnight, explained Eric Defert. Fortunately, we had a guy on board who sailed on maxis in the Mediterranean, and he had a few tricks up his sleeve, particularly with the gennaker, which got us unstuck and grab a bit of wind before Penmarc’h. All day Wednesday we sailed at 3 to 6 knots. We then had a short period of calm, between 5 and 7 pm, and to the south of Belle-Ile, we set off again at speed as the wind came down from Belle-Ile. We tacked at Grands Cardinaux and got to the line on one tack.”
In the Multi 2000 category, which Drekan Energy will not win on corrected time because she has a very high rating, Bruno Jacob’s ORC 50 GDD, was 100 miles from the finish on Thursday morning, in second place, while the battle for third is currently led by ACapella-Proludic-La chaîne de l’espoir, more at ease in light airs than Wellness Training/MG5 (Marc Guillemot). The next boat expected to cross the finish line in Quiberon Bay is Eric de Turckheim’s 54-foot monohull Teasing Machine, who at 8 o’clock this Thursday morning set off around Belle-Ile to the south